The Burglary Job
by SimonStormcloak
Summary: A short story about Vex going on a burglary job in Solitude. Short story, only a few chapters.
1. A New Job

"Hey Vekel, could you get me some mead?" I shouted over to the bartender.

"Coming right up, Vex!"

I'd been in the tavern all day, yet I hadn't drank a single drop of alcohol. It was crazy. I'd just been arguing with Tonilia about which hold Rorikstead was in. She said it belonged to the Reach, but I knew that it was clearly in Whiterun.

"I'm telling you Vex, Whiterun's borders don't stretch that far!" I rolled my eyes.

"Tonilia," I told her. "I've been doing jobs in Rorikstead for a long time, and I'm pretty sure it's in Whiterun. Gods, Tonilia. Go and ask Rorik himself!"

Just then, Niruin walked in from the cistern.

"Vex?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I said back, turning away from a very annoyed Tonilia.

"Mercer wants to talk to you. Says he's got a job for you."

"Alright, I'll be there in a sec."

I got up and walked away into the cistern.

"Reach!" Tonilia shouted after me.

I sighed. "Whiterun." I said, opening the door to the cistern and slamming it behind me.

I walked through the cistern, crossing the bridge in the middle.

Sure enough, Mercer Frey was sitting at his desk, clearly he had been waiting for me.

"Ah, Vex. Just the girl I was looking for."

"Niruin said you had a job for me?"

"Yes... The job... I have it here somewhere..." He started rummaging around his desk, looking for something.

"Ah, here it is!" He finally exclaimed. He held up a piece of paper.

"Here are all the details. Just a simple burglary job in Solitude."

I took the paper from him and looked at it. The target was Addvar in Solitude. Apparently he was in possession of a few flawless sapphires that he really just didn't need.

"Why didn't you send Brynjolf?" I asked. "He's a master at these type of things."

"Yeah. But the thing is," He replied. "Brynjolf's got a bounty in Solitude. A little mishap involving Taarie and her Silver Pendant... Well, you're the next best, so I'm sending you."

"How much will it pay?"

"Five hundred septims. So long as it goes off without a hitch."

"Okay. I'll do it. I should be back in five days, if everything goes well."

I exited the cistern and went back to the flagon. Tonilia was waiting.

"Well," She said. "Where are you going?"

"Solitude." I said.

"Oh. I was hoping it would be in Rorikstead, which, according to Delvin, is in the _Reach."_

"Delvin's a drunk idiot."

I sat down at the bar, ordering a bottle of Mead.

I drank for a while, argued continuously with Tonilia, and finally lied down in my bed in the cistern. I had changed out of my guild armor into a nightgown that I had... _borrowed _from Haelga.

The next day I would ride for Solitude. That was on the other side of Skyrim, if you didn't know. It would take me at least a day to get there. How many miles was that? Forty-one minus twelve, plus eleven..._zzzzzzzzzz_


	2. Solitude

I got up the next morning and put on my guild armor. I had a swig of Ale and went to the surface. As I was walking out of Riften, I saw Sapphire, a devious little girl and Delvin's niece, although she didn't know it.

"How are you today, Sapphire?" I said in the most sarcastic voice I could conjure up.

"Not now, Vex." She replied. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Shadr."

"The stable boy? What have you got against him?"

"So you automatically assume I have a problem with someone?" She smirked. "Well, yes, I do have a problem. He owes me money, and I want him to pay up."

"Well, good luck with that." I said, and walked through the gates.

"Stop," A guard said. "You need to pay the exit fee."

I could obviously tell he was trying to get money out of me. Poor bastard probably didn't even know who I was.

And so I punched him in the face and kept walking, and the other guard tended to his partner. I reached the stables, and there was Shadr, feeding the horses.

"Hey Shadr," I said.

"Yes?" He looked up at me.

I was going to talk to him about Sapphire, but I decided against it.

"Nevermind. Where's Hafgrir?"

"Inside the house. But if you need a horse, you can buy it from me."

"Sure." I tossed him a bag of counterfeit septims and mounted the sleek black Cyrodiilic horse.

"Umm, that one's not for sale," He said to me.

"Too bad!" I yelled, riding off into the forest.

I'm not going to detail the ride to Solitude, but I did encounter a pack of Wolves, which my dagger quickly took care of. I got to the gate of Solitude at noon the next day, so I dismounted my horse and walked into the city. No one minded my guild armor, because we didn't really have much of a presence in Solitude. I had only been there a few times, and every time I go it takes my breath away. The streets were mossy stone, with brick buildings and banners everywhere. For the capital of Skyrim, it really spared no expense. We had a contact in Solitude, an Argonian named Gulum-Ei. I could guess where he was. I walked into the Winking Skeever, pretty much the only tavern in the city. And sure enough, there was Gulum-Ei, sitting in a corner, drinking some wine.

"Hello, Gajul-Lei." I said to him, using one of his many aliases.

He turned to me.

"Oh, um... Hi there, stranger! What business do you have with a... _humble _Argonian like me?"

I caught his drift.

"I've got something for Addvar, and I need to find his house."

"Well then you've come to the right place. But first, I could use a favor..."

I pulled out my dagger and put it to his side.

"If that favor is a dagger in your thigh, I'd be happy to oblige."

"Um, nevermind, I don't need any favors. It's just beside Evette San's house. Now, please, leave me alone."

I sheathed my dagger and walked out of the inn. _Everything is going according to plan.  
_-

The lock was child's play. Once I was in, I headed upstairs and into the bedroom. If he had anything valuable, this is where he'd put it. I picked the lock on the Strongbox, and _voila_. Staring at me were four flawless sapphires, with not a single crack or dent. I quickly picked them up and put them in my coinpurse. On the way out, I saw a map of Skyrim, detailing all the cities and towns, along with the hold they were in. I stuffed it into my sack, thinking I could show Tonilia that Rorikstead was in Whiterun. I was almost at the door when it opened. Quickly without thinking, I ran upstairs before it opened completely and hid behind a shelf.

"Just a second," I heard a voice say, which must have been Addvar's. "I need to check something. _"Somebody stole my Sapphires!"_

Just then I saw a back door downstairs. I jumped down to the bottom floor with finesse, and quickly picked the lock on the door. I ran out into the day, and nobody suspected a thing. I bought a room at the skeever, and slept for the rest of the day. I'd need energy for the ride back.


End file.
